See the Cast of ‘Forrest Gump’ Then and Now

‘Forrest Gump’ is a tale of a dim-witted but good-natured man who finds himself in the middle of many of the influential events of post-World War II America.

The 1994 film was a huge hit, earning close to 700 million at the box office and winning six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

See what Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast are up to these days.

Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump

Paramount/Paul A. Herbert, Getty Images

Then: John Travolta was the original choice to play Forrest, but when he passed the producers turned to Tom Hanks, who agreed to do the film as long as it remained historically accurate. This turned out to be the right choice, as Hanks snagged a Best Actor Oscar for the film, his second in a row after taking the statue the year before for ‘Philadelphia.’

Now: While his last two movies, ‘Cloud Atlas’ and ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,’ didn’t exactly set the world on fire, Hanks remains one of the top box office draws of all time. 2013 will see Hanks starring in ‘Captain Phillips,’ which is about the 2009 Somali pirate hijacking, and ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ in which he will play Walt Disney. And he just made his Broadway debut in the Nora Ephron play ‘Lucky Guy.’

Robin Wright, Jenny

Paramount/Sean Gallup, Getty Images

Then: Robin Wright was Forrest’s beloved Jenny. Wright got her start on the nighttime soap ‘Santa Barbara’ and came to fame playing the title character in ‘The Princess Bride.’

Now: Wright is Claire Underwood on the Netflix political drama ‘House of Cards.’ In 2011, she played a supporting role in ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.’ Wright had been involved in a tumultuous relationship with Sean Penn between 1989 and 2010 and is now reportedly dating actor Ben Foster.

Gary Sinise, Lieutenant Dan

Paramount/Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Then: One of the more memorable characters from ‘Forrest Gump’ is Lieutenant Dan Taylor, who was portrayed by Gary Sinise with some help from some nifty, leg-removing special effects. Sinise comes from a theatrical background but his starring role in 1992′s movie adaptation of ‘Of Mice And Men,’ which he also directed, opened Hollywood’s eyes to his acting talents.

Now: For the last nine years Sinise has starred as Mac Taylor on ‘CSI: New York.’ The 58-year-old is one of the nation’s leading advocates for disabled veterans, and often uses his Lt. Dan Band to raise money for wounded warriors and other good causes.

Sally Field, Mrs. Gump

Paramount/Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Then: That was Sally Field playing Mrs. Gump, who would do anything for her boy Forrest. Field had been a star since the ’60s, when she was everyone’s crush on the TV shows ‘Gidget’ and ‘The Flying Nun.’ Like Hanks she is a two-time Oscar winner and her 1984 acceptance speech for ‘Places in the Heart,’ in which she famously told the audience that “right now, you like me,you really like me,” is among the award show’s most famous moments.

Now: Between 2006 and 2011 Field was Nora Walker on ‘Brothers & Sisters.’ Since then, she’s played Aunt May in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ and Mary Todd Lincoln in ‘Lincoln.’

Mykelti Williamson, “Bubba” Blue

Paramount/Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Then: Williams donned a prosthetic lower lip to portray Forrest’s shrimp-loving army buddy Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue. It was a role that had been offered to Dave Chappelle, who has long said he regretted turning it down. Before ‘Forrest Gump,’ Williams was primarily a TV actor and had been a regular on ‘The New WKRP in Cincinnati’ and ‘Midnight Caller.’

Now:Williams plays recurring character Ellstin Limehouse on ‘Justified.’ He is also known for starring in the final season of ’24.’

Michael Conner Humphreys, Young Forrest

Paramount/Tumblr

Then: In his movie debut, Michael Connor Humphreys played the young version of Forrest Gump. Hanks has said he modeled his accent in the movie after the way Humphreys talked.

Now: Despite getting good reviews for ‘Forrest Gump,’ Humphreys decided not to pursue acting and instead remain a regular kid in Mississippi. Between 2005 and 2010 Humphreys served in the US Army, including stints in Iraq. After his enlistment ended, he returned to Hollywood and starred in the 2011 World War II movie ’Pathfinders: In the Company of Strangers.’

Hanna R. Hall, Young Jenny

Paramount/IMDb

Then: The little girl yelling ‘Run Forrest, run!’ was Hanna R. Hall, who played the kid version of Jenny. It was her film debut and she followed it up by starring in ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ and as young Cecilia Lisbon in the 1999 drama ‘The Virgin Suicides.’

Now: Hall recently did an episode of ‘Criminal Minds’ and starred in the thriller ‘Visible Scars.’

Haley Joel Osment, Forrest Gump Jr.

Paramount/Neilson Barnard, Getty Images

Then: Before seeing dead people in ‘The Sixth Sense,’ Haley Joel Osment was Forrest Gump Jr. in ‘Forrest Gump. The-then six-year-old was picked for the role after the casting director saw him in a Pizza Hut ad.

Now: After keeping a fairly low profile over the past decade, Osment seems set to return to the spotlight in ‘The World Made Straight’ and ‘Heroes: The Legendary Trio.’

Geoffrey Blake, Wesley

Paramount/IMDb

Then: Probably as close to ‘Forrest Gump’ has to a villain was Wesley, Jenny’s boyfriend who gets rough with her and then faces Forrest’s wrath. Geoffrey Blake, who played Wesley, had previously guest-starred on shows like ‘Hunter’ and ‘L.A. Law.’

Now: Blake is recurring character Gerry Nelson on ‘Franklin & Bash.’ He will be in the upcoming Jeff Probst (yes, that Jeff Probst) directed drama ‘Kiss Me.’

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